


I Left my Heart in New York

by LuvBusters



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:02:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22234498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day - Janine can’t wait for it to be over. Especially since it seems Egon has a girlfriend.
Relationships: Egon Spengler/Janine Melnitz
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	I Left my Heart in New York

(Happy Valentines Day) 

Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching, much to Janine’s dismay. She hasn’t been on a date in more than a year. Not that it would matter; the one man who holds her heart doesn’t seem to be interested. 

Peter was flying high; he and Dana have reconnected. They were going out on V Day; he was quite excited. 

Ray was going out of town for the weekend to visit his aunt. 

Winston has a lady friend whom he was going to be out with.

And Dr. Spengler - has a date with his lab experiments - as always. 

So, Janine’s mood wasn’t the greatest, but she was happy for the guys. Peter and Winston had asked for her advice to help make sure they didn’t disappoint their dates. Janine had made reservations for Peter and Dana at a nice restaurant; she had given Winston the name of a good, reliable and conservative jewelry store where he could get his girlfriend a nice bracelet without breaking his wallet. 

Ray came running down the stairs. “Janine! What can I get Aunt Lois? I wanna give her something.”

Janine put down her magazine, trying to hide her attitude. Ray was a sweet guy; he wanted to make his aunt feel special. “You could take her a small box of sugar free chocolates and a potted plant! I know she’s not diabetic, but she should be careful.”

Ray leaned down and gave Janine a big hug. “Thanks, Janine!” He then rushed out the door to get the items. 

*********************  
Valentine’s Day had arrived! Janine was going through the day’s mail. It wasn’t much: the monthly utility bill, a few advertisements, and a card. It was a red envelope addressed to Egon. Janine brought the envelope up to her nose; it smelled strongly of a woman’s perfume. The return address was from Emily Strausburg in Ohio. 

Egon was coming downstairs with a piece of machinery in his hands. He was headed to the basement lab. He saw the confused expression on Janine’s face. “Janine, what is it?”

“It seems you’ve gotten something in the mail; this envelope smells nice.” She handed it to him. 

Egon took it and smelled it, quickly moving it away a bit. The smell was obviously very strong for his senses. He read the return address. “Hmmm, I haven’t heard from Emily since college!” 

Janine held her breath as she watched him open the envelope. He pulled out a card and read it silently. He then slid the card back inside the envelope and put it in his pocket. The curiosity was killing her. “Well? What is it?!”

Egon blushed slightly. “Just a friendly note. Excuse me, I need to find a certain tool.” He then continued his way down to the lab.

Janine’s attitude fell flat. She wiped away the tears quickly so Egon wouldn’t see them when he returned upstairs. However, Janine then realized that, when he did come back up, he didn’t say a word. He didn’t even make eye contact with her. He just kept going back upstairs to his main lab. 

Janine sighed. “Looks like another lonely Valentine’s Day for me.” 

******************  
Later that afternoon, Ray was leaving for his aunt’s; Peter and Winston were on their way out to their dates. Janine politely waved them goodbye as she was preparing to leave for the day. 

“What are you gonna do, Melnitz?” Peter asked. 

“Nothing. Grab some takeout, watch a movie, and have some wine,” Janine replied. “Or some vodka,” she thought to herself. “Lots and lots of vodka.”

Soon, it was just Janine and Egon at the firehouse. She went up to the kitchen to clean out the coffee pot before she left. On her way back downstairs, Egon came out of the lab. 

“Leaving for the evening?” he asked.

Janine noticed a slight blush to his cheeks, but she didn’t say anything about it. “Yeah, gonna get something for dinner and head home for a quiet night.”

Egon heard the sadness in her voice. He so badly wanted to say something to lift her spirits, but he wasn’t sure what to say. So, he simply smiled. “Well, that sounds nice. See you on Monday!”

Janine smiled then went down to get her purse. 

*********************  
It took a while for Janine to get home. It was a Friday evening in New York so the traffic was worse than usual. By the time she finally made it to her apartment, she was tired and frustrated. It seemed that everywhere she looked, there were happy couples out on the town for their special day. She was so tired of being alone. She just wanted to eat dinner and get tipsy enough to where she could just sleep the night away; it would be over in the morning. 

She had changed into a pair of sweatpants and T-shirt and was just ready to eat when there was a knock on her door. “Now what?” she huffed to herself. She opened the door and was completely shocked. 

Before her stood Egon. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit: gray pants and jacket, a crisp white shirt, and a light blue tie that brought out his wonderful blue eyes and made his hair seem even more blonde. His rosy red cheeks also looked brighter than usual as he was obviously nervous. 

“Egon! Wow! You look great!” Janine said. “Come on in!” She stepped aside to allow him room to enter.

As he did, she closed the door. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thank you,” Egon replied. 

“What brings you out here tonight?” 

“Well, I thought it would be nice if we could go out …. to dinner?” 

Janine’s eyes widened. “Wh-what?”

Egon smiled at her stunned reaction. “It is Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah, but …. I’m not your …. you’re not my ….,” she stuttered, not sure of how to handle the situation. 

Egon’s smile grew bigger. “I know, but …. I was hoping maybe …. we could be?”

Janine didn’t know what to say. “Are you saying …..? Egon, I …-“

He cut her sentence off as he stepped over to her, leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek. 

Janine wasn’t able to contain her tears any longer. Egon reached up and wiped away a few with his thumb as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She leaned into his touch. Then, she looked at him, almost startled. “Do you have feelings for me?!”

“Yes, I have for a while. I just didn’t know the best way to express them.”

“Well, you’re doing a hell of a job!” Janine giggled. 

“Why don’t you change into something more appropriate for dinner?” Egon suggested. 

“Oh gosh! Yeah! Be right back! Umm...make yourself comfortable! I won’t be long!” Janine said as she rushed to her bedroom, shutting the door. 

Egon shook his head affectionately and smiling as he sat down on the couch. 

Janine changed, added some makeup and fixed her hair in record time. She entered the living room dressed in a royal blue dress and matching heels. She had a small silver clutch and silver teardrop earrings to accentuate her look. Her makeup was light and gentle, her hair fluffed.

Egon stood, admiring her. “You ….look beautiful!” 

Janine blushed. “Thank you. Are we ready?”

“Yes,” Egon said as he held out his arm for her to take. 

**************  
The restaurant was a very nice one; it was an Italian place in Manhattan. After they were seated, Janine looked around. 

“Egon, this place is amazing!” 

“Glad you approve,” he replied, smiling. 

The waiter took their orders. Janine leaned forward. “When did you make reservations? This isn’t the kind of place you just walk into.”

Egon smiled, a sheepish grin on his face. “I called two weeks ago.”

To his surprise, Janine looked almost angry. “So, you waited two weeks and didn’t bother to tell me?!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said, trying to steer the conversation back to a more positive one. 

“Well, you certainly surprised the hell outta me!” she smirked. She took a sip of her wine. 

Egon cleared his throat. “Janine, as you know, I do not express my emotions very well. I thought if I made the reservations first, asking you out would be easier. But, then I realized I was still nervous.”

“What gave you the courage tonight?”

“The look on your face the day you watched me open the envelope.” 

“Oh,” she looked down at her glass of wine, taking another sip. Then she looked back up at Egon. “What was it? A card from an old girlfriend? A past lover maybe?”

Egon took a large sip of his wine before answering. “Janine, I don’t believe this is the time or place for that conversation.”

“Why not?” Janine’s voice was low but tinged with anger. 

Egon leaned forward in an effort to keep his own voice low. “Yes, she was a former girlfriend. No, she was not a former lover. We went to high school together. She flirted with me for a while, but I never reciprocated. After I graduated, I moved away to college. Of course, I graduated before she did; I am two years younger than she is. A few years later, she followed me to MIT. I was older by then, of course…,”

“Yeah, and legal!” Janine laughed slightly. “So, you like older women, huh?”

“No! It’s just that she had changed since high school. She had become someone I was attracted to.” Egon seemed sad by this admission, stealing a glance at Janine to gauge her reaction.

“Sure! You must’ve hit puberty by then! Hormones were kicking in,” Janine’s tone was light although her expression looked sad. “So….the two of you…?”

Egon looked into Janine’s eyes; sadness shone through tears that were being held back. “No, we never …. consummated our …. relationship.”

“Then, what was this card? Why did she wait all this time?” Janine’s frustration was building. 

Egon reached over to hold her hand; that movement helped calm her greatly. “We dated only a handful of times. I was at college to learn; she was there to party. When she finally realized that I was more serious about my grades than her, she gave up. I lost track of her after that. This card is the first time I’ve heard from her since then.”

“What did she want?” Janine asked hesitantly.

Without a word, Egon pulled out the card from his jacket pocket. He handed it to Janine. 

She took it and opened it. The card had a huge heart on the front with gold lettering across it that read “You have always had my Heart.” Janine instinctively rolled her eyes. She opened the card to see that there was a handwritten message inside:

“Egon, although we haven’t spoken in years, I’m hoping this card reaches you in time for Valentine’s Day. I believe you are my first love; therefore, my true love. I’ll be arriving in New York in time for dinner on the 14th. If you’re still single, I’d like to meet you - at the Empire State Building - 8:00 pm. If you’re not there, then I’ll know you’ve found your true love. Sincerely, Emily.”

Janine closed the card and reached over to Egon, pulling at his wrist to check his watch. The time read 8:12 pm. Her eyes met his. She could see a hesitant look in them, but she also saw …. love?

“I have indeed had a difficult time admitting my feelings, but I do love you, Janine. I have always feared beginning a romantic relationship with you.”

“Why? If you love me …?”

“Our job is dangerous, as you know. I have concerns of you becoming a target. You’ve already been kidnapped once because of us. I didn’t want to put you in any more danger.”

“But I love you, Egon. I’m willing to take a chance. I’d rather have a short time filled with your love than a lifetime watching you from my desk, never knowing if you’re gonna come back from one of those calls,” Janine said, tears streaming down her face.

The honesty in her words struck Egon. He stood and walked over to Janine. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He returned to his seat just as their food was arriving. 

“Thank you,” Janine said, twirling spaghetti around her fork. “This has definitely been the best Valentine’s Day ever!” She winked at Egon as she put the fork in her mouth.

“You’re quite welcome,” Egon replied, smiling. “It’s been the best one for me as well.” He sipped his wine. 

“Are you gonna reply to Emily?”

“No need. She has my answer.” The look on Egon’s face was slightly predatory, almost amused. He then gasped slightly as he felt Janine’s shoeless foot gently rubbing against his ankle.

Janine just gave him a wicked grin while trying to maintain an innocent expression. 

Egon smiled. “Is our relationship going to be like this?” 

“Like what?” she replied, a simple yet intriguing expression on her face.

“Full of surprises?” 

“Perhaps, Doctor. Do you not like surprises?” Janine then gasped as she felt his shoeless foot sliding just a bit up her foot and stopping just above her ankle. 

“I like surprises just fine, Ms. Melnitz,” Egon said, sipping his wine again. 

Janine giggled. “Yeah, this is gonna be fun.”


End file.
